With yesterday being the anniversery of Wilt Chamberlain's 100 point game, and the question of whether or not the record will be broken (I think it will, as Kobe almost did it a few years ago), I thought I'd post ten records I don't think will ever be broken.
Cy Young’s Win, Loss and Complete Game Total
- Wins: 511
- Losses: 316
- Complete Games: 749
No player will ever be a bigger winner, loser, and horse than Cy Young. Let’s begin with the complete games. Young threw 749 complete games, the most among any pitcher. There is no way in hell this would be broken. In Young’s day, not only were offenses a lot worse, and the mounds a lot higher, but the rise of bullpen specialization in baseball means that this is never going to happen again. Managers nowadays are trained to give the ball to their closer for the final inning, no matter how well a player is pitching. Not only that, but in Young’s day, pitchers were generally allowed to pitch through their mistakes, allowing them to take credit for their effort, or own up to their mistakes. This in turn, impacts the win total for pitchers. Nowadays, the starter is usually pulled by the manager at the first sign of trouble. With fans and industry people wondering if even 300 wins by a starting pitcher is even possible anymore, there is no way that a pitcher can even get within shouting distance of Cy Young’s record.
The Iron Men Streaks Of Brett Favre and Cal Ripkin Jr.
- Favre: 297
- Ripkin: 2632
We’ll start first with Favre, who officially retired last year in 2010 in a year marked by injury, ineffectiveness and pecker photos. Football is a grueling sport, and with there only being 16 games each year, it’s astounding that Favre was able to remain active and playing for as long as he did. It’s safe to say in a league where it’s acronym is amusingly and truthfully said to stand for the phrase Not For Long, that nobody is going to reach Favre for a long, long time.
Ripken’s streak of 2632 games is perhaps even more impressive. While baseball is not as physically taxing as a football game, keep in mind that football at the very least has close to a week off in between games. Baseball has virtually no off time, so if you have even a moderate injury, you are essentially screwed, as you have to miss time. Plus, with the amount of money in contract that is paid out to baseball players, very rarely will a team allow a player the risk of aggravating said injury into something severe.
Boston Celtics 1959 to 1966 Championship Run
- Championships Won: 11
Like the Yankees in the 50’s and 60’s, the Celtics were equally nasty in the 60’s, winning 8 straight championships. No one will ever achieve this again. In any sport. Simply put, the games have changed. For starters, there are more playoff rounds now in all sports than there were in the earlier part of the last century. It’s much harder for a team to run the gauntlet, especially in multiple seven game series. Second, free agency has changed the landscape of sports. Players have much more freedom to leave, and plus with the amount of money paid out to players in terms of contracts, it’s not feasible for teams to keep entire squads together year after year. Plus, the competition is just better now. Front offices are smarter, player evaluation is better, and bigger, richer teams aren’t able to take advantage of smaller teams as badly as they used to. To go back to the baseball example, the Yankees virtually used the Kansas City Athletics as a farm team in the 1950’s and early 1960’s. That can’t happen anymore.
Nolan Ryan’s Career Strikeout Total
- Total: 5714
Nolan Ryan is possibly one of the most enduring starting pitchers in the history of the sport. While he is often lambasted for having a career win-loss record around .500, Ryan spent much of his career pitching for some horrid Angel and Astro teams. Ryan’s career path was much more based on comfort of his surroundings, rather than championships (though he did win one in 1969, with the Miracle Mets). It’s highly possible that if he did choose to chase championships, Ryan would probably have a lot more wins. Ryan’s career strikeout record of 5714 is far and away the most ever by a pitcher, and still light years away from the second person on the list, Randy Johanson, who clocks in at 4875.
Nolan Ryan’s Seven No Hitter
There are several hall of fame pitchers that have gone their entire careers without recording a No-Hitter. Ryan did it seven times in his 27 career, with the Angels, Astros and Rangers. That is astounding, especially when you consider that the next highest pitcher on the list is the immortal Sandy Koufax with four. There are teams that don’t even have seven no hitters in their entire existence! Safe to say, this record appears safe, though it’s possible that Justin Verlander, the current favorite to pitch a no-hitter any time he’s on the mound, could surpass Koufax.
Emmitt Smith’s 18,355 Career Rushing Yards
Smith’s all time record of 18,355 rushing yards is another one that’s going to stay unbeaten, at least for a while. Again, like Young’s records, this is also due to changes in the game. Smith played from an era when every team typically went with a one back system. Running backs were typically coveted, and were locked up for long periods of time. Nowadays, running backs are among the most disposable positions in pro sports, with teams employing multiple backs, and notorious for axing a back once he outlives his usefulness.
Bill Russell's 11 Championship Rings
Like the earlier Celtics mention, this will never happen again, for the same reasons mentioned earlier. First of all, you would need to have an excellent franchise player stay with said successful organization. Second, said team will have to have a unprecedented run of success and one of the savviest front offices in their sport. Of any franchise since then, only the Jordan and Pippen Bulls could match this distinction, and they’re not even within shouting distance
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